Spring Primer: Five offensive players to keep an eye on

Earlier this week, I dove into Tennessee's fascinating quarterback room this spring, but others on offense need a big next six weeks, too.

Here are five guys to watch between now and the Orange & White Game on April 18.

If everything falls into place this spring (and over the summer), Tennessee could open the 2020 season with a trio of 5-stars (Wright, Wanya Morris and Cade Mays) along its offensive line, plus All-American guard Trey Smith and veteran center Brandon Kennedy. But for that possibility to come to fruition, the Vols need their talented sophomore right tackle to take a leap.

Wright battled an ankle injury down the stretch of last season, ceding snaps to K’Rjohn Calbert. The 6-6, 330-pound tackle was a bit overweight, with the injuries hampering his stamina and fundamentals.

But the West Virginia native still flashed some tremendous talent and upside at times. He has the requisite toughness and size to develop into a bonafide star. A full offseason in the weight room should help his conditioning, so this spring should be about fundamentals and consistency.

Calbert isn’t just going to hand Wright the right tackle job. The sophomore must earn it. With Morris sidelined this spring, Wright could get some reps at left tackle, too.

Regardless of where he plays though, it’s a big spring for the sophomore — both for his continued development and potential role in the fall.

The senior tailback from Nashville has led Tennessee in rushing in each of the last two seasons, but Chandler has never quite developed into the star so many envisioned four years ago.

He’s been productive, a consummate teammate and a quiet leader. But not a dude.

And Eric Gray just might be a dude, meaning Chandler could give away more touches to the sophomore tailback this fall. Chandler’s ankle injury late last year opened the door for more opportunities for Gray, and the then-freshman busted the thing wide open the final two games of the year (332 all-purpose yards).

To be clear, Chandler will still see plenty of carries in the fall, but it would really help Tennessee’s offense (especially wideout a veteran group of receivers) if he could show some growth as a senior.

Chandler is now on his fourth tailback coach. Jay Graham has a track record of developing real talent at that position, though. Can he be the one to get the most out of Chandler?

The Vols need Ty to be more than a one-trick pony. His breakaway speed is nice, but can he improve his vision? Can he break more tackles and gain more yards after contact? Can he improve his route running and pass catching?

Chandler’s time may be running out on Rocky Top, but he still has plenty of room to improve — starting this spring.

Tight end is a major question mark for Tennessee’s offense in 2020.

The Vols used at least one tight end on 95% of their snaps in 2019 — and were in 12 personnel (or some version with both Dominick Wood-Anderson and Austin Pope on the field together) for close to 41% percent of the time.

Wood-Anderson is now gone, and Pope will likely take it slowly this spring after playing much of last season with a slightly torn hamstring.

So who steps up there?

Fant has the most potential of the group, but the in-state prospect remains an unknown quantity for the Vols.

He’s shuttled between twice as many positions at Tennessee (tight end, tailback, receiver, inside linebacker) as he as career catches (two for 15 yards).

He’s plenty athletic enough at 6-2, 235 pounds, but can he block consistently? Can he stay healthy?

Considering the options behind him, Fant should have plenty of opportunities this spring to prove his merits as option 1b to Pope’s 1a. If he can’t, then Chaney may be forced to enter the summer re-examining how he might deploy a scheme that once relied on two or more tight ends a lot and now doesn’t have that luxury.

Deangelo Gibbs could easily see his name in Keyton’s slot, but for me, Tennessee’s sophomore has a chance this spring to showcase whether or not he’ll be a steady option opposite Josh Palme in 2020, or merely a supplementary piece splitting snaps with guys like Cedric Tillman, Brandon Johnson and Velus Jones.

Keyton had just four catches for 104 yards as a freshman, but he made two big plays in the bowl win (two catches for 60 yards) when Jauan Jennings was suspended for the first half, garnering further excitement from the UT fan base.

Coaches and teammates have raved about Keyton’s work ethic and practice habits. He’s added weight this offseason, too, and was already considered one of Tennessee’s more physical blockers at receiver, earning early playing time as a freshman for his commitment to blocking on the perimeter.

Perhaps most importantly, Keyton is among the more versatile receivers on the roster.

The Peach State native spent much of last season seeing snaps out wide, but when Jennings was suspended, the Vols moved Keyton into the slot and he came up with two big plays in the bowl win.

It’s been well-documented that the Vols lose a ton at wideout, so opportunities aren’t an issue. Keyton has a prior relationship with quarterback signee Harrison Bailey, and he spent all last year catching balls from Jarrett Guarantano, Brian Maurer and JT Shrout, so he has a jumpstart on some of the other receiver options this spring. Can he take advantage?

Everyone has penciled in Cade Mays to usurp Carvin at right guard in 2020, but a) Mays has yet to be declared immediately eligible and b) A 6-3, 320-pound junior from Memphis might have something to say about that.

Carvin wasn’t some all-conference performer in 2019, but after being buried on the bench for most of the six seven games of the season, he was inserted into the starting lineup against Alabama and never gave up his job the rest of the season. Tennessee went 6-1 during the OL shuffle that saw Carvin start the final seven games of the season.

Now a junior, Carvin could be getting passed over by a more talented player, but he could also create some real competition for that right guard spot this spring.

Chemistry is key, and the interior group of Trey Smith, Brandon Kennedy and Jerome Carvin worked fairly well the last month of the season. Even if Mays beats Carvin out for that spot come the fall, the former Cordova product has the chance to continue to earn the trust of Chaney and OL coach Will Friend this spring and be used as the OL’s sixth-man (guard, backup center, extra lineman).